On board PUMA during the Qingdao In-Port Race. Image copyright Sally Collison/PUMA Ocean Racing.
Difficult weekend of in-port racing
by Brigid Murphy
PUMA finished the Qingdao In Port race in third place, Monday, sailing in very light winds and thick fog in China. After racing was postponed on both Saturday and Sunday due to lack of wind and poor visibility, the third In Port race of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 finally got underway today in just four to six knots of wind. Finishing third in each of the two races, PUMA Ocean Racing, led by Skipper Ken Read (USA) took third place overall, earning three points. The team remains in third place overall going into leg five, which begins next Saturday, February 14th.
Just four of the seven boat Volvo Ocean Race fleet competed in the Qingdao In Port race, as the only boats to have made it to China at the end of leg four. Each boat therefore picks up valuable points on the remainder of the fleet. Leg five from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro, which starts next weekend, is the longest leg of the entire race. The PUMA Ocean Racing team plan to spend the week making final preparations for the epic forty day leg, by switching from ‘in port’ to ‘offshore’ mode, loading the boat with sails, spares and provisions for the long leg. The race crew will also take some time to rest and relax before the marathon leg ahead.
Skipper Ken Read commented: “Today was a tricky day. Those weather conditions are the worst possible Volvo 70 sailing conditions you could have. These boats are what you call ‘sticky’ in that stuff – they’re not designed for this kind of sailing. Light conditions are hard work from a crew standpoint and it’s not good for spectators either. We had two bad starts, so it’s disappointing for us not to have done a little better, however, the crew sailed well to give us a podium finish, and from an overall competitive standpoint, it was good to get the In Port racing in. It means we benefit from the fact we managed to finish the last leg by gaining points on those boats who haven’t made it here [Telefonica Black, Ericsson 3 and Delta Lloyd].”
“Now we can really focus on the getting ready for this really, really long leg ahead of us. Leg five to Brazil is over 12,000 miles, longer than any other leg of the race, so we have a lot to do to ensure we’re as best prepared as possible. The race crew will take some time to rest, so that we’re physically and mentally geared up for the leg ahead, and as a team, we have a lot to do to make sure our boat il mostro is ready for the trip too. This leg will be tough, and will take its toll on all of us, but we’ll be ready for it come Saturday.”
PUMA Ocean Racing
Volvo Ocean Race
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